"Dressed for Distress": This is news?

DISCLAIMER: This post deviates from the "Race" component of this blog, but I still thought it worthy of discussion.

I read this article about a week ago in the Chicago Tribune, but it also ran in Newsweek. The first thing I noticed, on a Trib page filed with news about the UN summit coming to Chicago, further signs of global warming and presidential candidate conjectures, was that its author, Robin Givhan, is a woman. Why not let John Kass tell the relatively lighter fashion story, rather than his prime-positioned commentary on concealed carry in Illinois (or lack thereof)? Looking at her website, I saw that Givhan actually considers herself a "fashion critic and style writer," but I still wince at the idea - just as I do when I think racial/ethnic minorities are getting the "minority beat" - that women get the "fluff" news.

Next, I wondered: Why is this particular story worthy of reporting? Who really cares what Huma Abedin, aide to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and wife of former Rep. Anthony Weiner, wears on any given day? Pre- or post-Twitter debacle, Abedin's "flattering corn-silk blue, slim black trousers, and a fuchsia sliver of a belt" provide little, if any, insight into this woman. I get the whole "fashion is a declaration of who you are" argument, but in such a heavy dose, it serves in my mind to reduce Abedin to her wardrobe. We saw the same thing with First Lady Michelle Obama - "Look at her in that affordable J Crew dress!" - and thankfully Michelle was able to push beyond it and force the public to look at the issues she stood for rather than the heels she stood on.

Abedin has, as have likely all slighted spouses in Washington, been through the ringer. Her husband was unfaithful (and very, VERY un-Internet savvy), the media storm went on far too long and she undoubtedly paid dearly for Weiner's errors. Pregnant to boot? Clearly, Abedin has a pile and a half on her mind. But, Givhan says, "she looks like herself. She exudes control and calm. And most important, she looks relevant."

We would do well not to let her relevance - or that of any other "political wife," as Givhan calls her - stem from her suiting.

Photo Credit: Susan Walsh/AP